Riot To Allow Gambling Sponsors in Esports, Says ‘Betting Activity Already Exists’

Key Takeaways

• Riot Games will allow gambling sponsorship in its esports tournaments.
• Teams entered in the League of Legends World Championship and Valorant Champions Tour will now be able to tap betting firms as sponsors.
• Justifying the decision, Riot said, “betting activity already exists around our sports and will continue whether we engage with it or not.”

Bookmakers and online gambling platforms have long been fixtures of sports sponsorship, and for specific sports, including soccer and horse racing, they make up the single largest sponsor segment. However, some of the largest esports tournaments initially rejected them.

However, Riot Games, which organizes some of the industry’s most high-profile events, has lifted its longstanding embargo on betting sponsors.

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Riot Ends Gambling Sponsorship Ban

Riot Games historically prohibited sponsorships of gambling companies in its esports ecosystem.

The firm maintains a list of “prohibited sponsors” for each tournament, which includes categories such as gambling, tobacco, alcohol, firearms, adult content and cryptocurrencies. (Although the latter restriction is probably a consequence of Riot’s own sponsorship arrangement with Coinbase.)

In a blog post explaining the decision to remove gambling from this list, Riot’s President of Publishing and Esports, John Needham, noted that “betting activity already exists around our sports and will continue whether we engage with it or not.”

As a growing number of teams asked the company to review its policy on gambling sponsors, Riot ultimately determined that it would be better to end the ban and create guardrails than to allow esports betting to operate in the dark.

“We believe it’s better to engage in allowing betting sponsorships — thoughtfully, carefully, and with the right protections — than to sit on the sidelines while risks to fans and integrity go unchecked,” Needham said.

Betting in Esports

In recent years, esports betting has grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry.

Citing data from Sportradar, Needham said that in 2024, over $10 billion was wagered on League of Legends and the Valorant Champions Tour alone.

Some of the biggest players include dedicated esports betting platforms like Pinnacle and GG.Bet. Meanwhile, traditional sportsbook operators like Betway have increasingly diversified to cover gaming tournaments.

There is already a precedent for sponsorship opportunities. For example, GG.Bet is a major sponsor of Dota 2’s The International, Team Liquid, and PGL tournaments.

Meanwhile, Pinnacle has sponsored several smaller tournaments and teams, including Dota 2 and Counter-Strike events.

Teams Lined up for Gambling Sponsorship

Several esports teams that operate within the affected Riot leagues could be among the first to accept gambling sponsorships.

G2 Esports, Team Liquid, 100 Thieves, Fnatic, and Evil Geniuses have all already forged partnerships with betting companies elsewhere. For example, in 2024, Fnatic announced a multi-year, seven-figure jersey deal with the online cryptocurrency casino Betify.

Riot plans to vet any potential sports betting partnerships before approval. To be eligible, sponsors must also use Riot’s officially sanctioned esports data platform, GRID, to ensure “consistency, integrity, and accountability,” Needham said.

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